Raquelle Lewis appointed to CenterPoint Board
CenterPoint Energy, Inc. has announced the appointment of Raquelle W. Lewis to its Board of Directors, making her the first African American female Board member. With more than 25 years of experience in communications, strategic project development, business operations, community outreach, and risk and crisis management in the transportation and infrastructure industries, Lewis has held positions of increasing responsibility over the course of her career. She currently serves as Director, Southeast Texas Communications and Public Information Offices for the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), a state government organization that constructs and maintains highway, aviation, rail, and public transportation systems.
As chief Public Information Officer (PIO) for the Houston District, she leads communication planning, strategy and implementation for more than 200 construction projects totaling $5 billion. Lewis also serves as chief spokesperson for TxDOT during severe weather events and other emergencies in Houston and surrounding areas, including supporting strategic planning and crisis and risk management efforts.
Lewis earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from the University of Texas at Austin. She is a member of several community and civic organizations, including the WTS International, NAACP-Houston Branch, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., Black Women of Greater Houston PAC, and Leadership Women, Inc.
Media Professional Laura Whitley Joins TDECU as Vice President of Communications
TDECU has announced a key staffing addition with the naming of Houston media strategist Laura Whitley to the role of Vice President of Communications for the more than $4B organization. Whitley joins the team President and Chief Executive Officer Isaac Johnson is cultivating and is responsible for both internal and external communications for Houston’s largest credit union.
Whitley comes to TDECU following a wide-reaching public relations and journalism career. She leveraged her expertise to serve the Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County (METRO) as a media specialist and spokesperson. During her tenure, she hosted The Next Stop podcast which provides transit news and information for one of the country’s largest metropolitan areas and developed content which supported the agency’s outreach and expansion, including the region’s largest transit investment to date, METRONext. In addition to her success at METRO, Whitley embraced her entrepreneurial spirit founding Houston-based communications firm Reel Media Solutions in 2009, which positioned her as a go-to field producer for network news programs including Good Morning America, World News Tonight, and 20/20. Whitley also held reporter and producer roles for several Texas stations.
Whitley earned a Bachelor of Journalism degree from the University of Texas at Austin. She currently serves as Community Service Co-Chair for Jack and Jill of America Inc.’s Houston chapter and is the organization’s immediate past Programming Director, Second Vice President.